Report on the Outreach Event: ‘Brain, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll’

The Neuroscience in Health and Disease and Disease Models and Clinical Pharmacology research clusters held a joint half-day symposium for 42 A-level science students from four different schools in London Boroughs. The event took place during the Brain Awareness Week (March 10-16^th, 2014), an international campaign initiated by The Dana Foundation (https://www.dana.org/brainweek/) to increase the public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. This outreach activity was organised under the auspices of UCL Widening Participation Programme and was designed to provide an insight into careers related to pharmacy, science and research. The event was organised by Dr Afia Ali, Dr Jasmina Jovanovic and Dr Ahad Rahim from the Department of Pharmacology.

The event included an introductory lecture “The Avenues to a Career in Research: Why and How?” by Professor Anne Stephenson, and three short talks, “Research Activities at the School of Pharmacy” by Professor Rob Harvey, “Gene Therapy for the Brain-From Hollywood to Hospitals” by Dr Ahad Rahim and “Human Brain Project” by Professor Alex Thomson. The students had an opportunity to visit research facilities and laboratories in the school and attend poster presentations by postdoctoral researchers Drs Melodie Borel and Sigrun Lange, PhD students Jessica Arama, Simone Granno, Archie Khan, Victoria Spain and AleksandraTopczewska, and MPharm students Qadir Mawji, Odafe Otobo, Rahima Hossay and Nahida Samih.

The programme ended with light refreshments and a live rock n’ roll gig played by Dr Andy Constanti and Elias Skourletos.

The feed-back received from students was overwhelmingly positive. The students from St. Albans Girls’ School wrote a special report on this event in their weekly news letter (PDF document).